Washington Prisons Looking For More Space

The Washington Department of Corrections says the state needs to start planning for more prison space, especially for women. The department is asking Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to include $1.8 million in his proposed adjustment in December to the state's two-year budget.

The News Tribune reports the money would pay to start replacing an obsolete housing unit at women's prison at Purdy with a 96-bed unit. The department also wants to start work renovating the former Maple Lane youth detention center at Grand Mound. A new men's prison there could hold nearly 1,000 inmates. State prisons now hold more than 16,000 men. The Washington Corrections Center for Women was designed to hold 764 inmates, but it held 933 women last week with many sleeping on the floor.